Sermon Tone Analysis

Faith Toward God

Key Verse: “Now faith is the assurance (the confirmation, the title-deed) of things [we] hoped for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality—faith perceiving as real fact what is not yet revealed to the senses.”

Hebrews 11:1 (The Amplified Bible)

Purpose: The purpose of this lesson is to help the disciple understand and practice genuine faith toward God.

“Faith” vs “The Faith”

There is a distinction in the New Testament between “faith” and “the faith”.

“The faith” refers to the “one faith”[1] as handed down by the apostles.[2]It

refers to the essential elements of the gospel that a person must believe to be saved.[3]Paul

calls it “that form of doctrine to which you were delivered.”[4]The

foundational tenets of the faith were established in an early reproducible form that became known as the “Rule of Faith”.[5]It may include the decision made at the Jerusalem Council[6]which settled the controversy regarding what is required for salvation and then confirmed by the letter (“Jerusalem Decree”) delivered to the churches.[7]

“The faith” refers to the core and unchanging orthodox tenets of Christianity.

It is not open to revision, restructuring, or to the addition of new revelation.

The faith has been delivered “once for all” to the saints.[8]The

faith is to be diligently preserved, entrusted to faithful men, accurately communicated, fully preached, and earnestly defended from one generation to another.

“Faith”, on the other hand, refers to an individual’s response in believing the Truth.

A relationship with God is built upon faith.

Without faith it is impossible to PLEASE God.

Hebrews 11:6 “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”

Faith is complete confidence in GOD and the INTEGRITY of His word.

Hebrews 11:11 “By faith Sarah herself also received strength to conceive seed, and she bore a child when she was past the age, because she judged Him faithful who had promised.”

Faith includes believing that GOD EXISTS and that He REWARDS those who diligently seek Him.

Hebrews 11:6 (NLT) “So, you see, it is impossible to please God without faith.

Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that there is a God and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.”

True faith is more than simply believing there is a God and that He can do anything.

True faith also is confident that He will answer according to His will those who sincerely seek Him.

A lack of faith can lead to DISOBEDIENCE and UNBELIEF toward God.

Hebrews 3:18 “And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who did not obey?

So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.”

Doubt is uncertainty.

Doubt is when facts outweigh the level of faith in our hearts.

Unbelief is determined disbelief.

It is living by our five physical senses rather than by faith.

Disobedience is making choices based on our doubt and unbelief.

Doubt is the result of focusing on the FACTS and CIRCUMSTANCES around us.

Faith comes by keeping our eyes and ears focused on the WORD OF GOD who is JESUS.

Matthew 14:25-31 “Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea.

And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, ‘It is a ghost!’

And they cried out for fear.

But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘Be of good cheer!

It is I; do not be afraid.’

And Peter answered Him and said, ‘Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.’

So He said, ‘Come.’

And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus.

But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, ‘Lord, save me!’

And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, ‘O you of little faith, why did you doubt?’”

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 “Therefore we do not lose heart.

Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.

For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen.

For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.”

Romans 10:17 “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”

Unbelief makes God out to be a LIAR.

1 John 5:10 “He who believes in the Son of God has the witness in himself; he who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed the testimony that God has given of His Son.”

Romans 3:3–4 “For what if some did not believe?

Will their unbelief make the faithfulness of God without effect?

4 Certainly not!

Indeed, let God be true but every man a liar.

As it is written: ‘That You may be justified in Your words, and may overcome when You are judged.’”

Unbelief was the root cause of Adam’s and Eve’s DISOBEDIENCE and subsequent spiritual DEATH.

Genesis 3:1–7 “Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made.

And he said to the woman, ‘Has God indeed said, “You shall not eat of every tree of the garden”?’ 2 And the woman said to the serpent, ‘We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; 3 but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’” 4 Then the serpent said to the woman, ‘You will not surely die.

5 For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.’

6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate.

She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.

7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings.”

The command given by God to Adam and Eve was a test of their faith in Him.

They would either believe Him and live, or they would disbelieve Him and die.

Satan sowed the seeds of unbelief toward God in the mind and heart of Adam and Eve by causing them to doubt the reality of God’s word (“Has God indeed said?”), the integrity of God’s word (“You will not surely die.”), and the goodness of God (“God knows that….you

will be like God.”).

They heeded their doubts based on the devil’s lies and then acted in unbelief.

Their disobedience was the direct result of unbelief toward God.

Their unbelief did not change the truth of God’s Word but established it.

On the other hand, it did sever the relationship they once had with God based upon faith.

To establish a righteousness of their own apart from God, through their self-perceived concept of good and evil, Adam and Eve forfeited the gift of righteousness previously based upon faith in Him.

Since unbelief toward God is the root cause of spiritual death, God has chosen to give to those who believe the gospel the gift of ETERNAL LIFE as an act of His grace.

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

Romans 4:16 “Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all.”

Ephesians 2:8–9 “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.”

Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

The believer’s faith comes from GOD through HEARING His Word.

Romans 12:3 “For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.”

Romans 10:17 “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”

Hearing the Word of God opens the window to faith.

A man can embrace faith or defiantly refuse.

Faith is not blind.

Faith does not ignore natural facts.

Faith takes into account higher spiritual facts and realities that those without faith cannot see.

For the one who believes in God, their faith in God’s promise is the SUBSTANCE of their hope and the EVIDENCE of what they see through the eyes of faith until the time when their faith becomes sight.

Hebrews 11:1 “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”

Hebrews 11:13 “These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.”

Faith is like possessing the title deed to a car or home that you have never seen.

The title deed is proof that the car or home is yours without having yet seen it.

Faith does not say, “I won’t believe it until I see it” but rather, “I believe it because God said it!

Because I believe Him, I will one day see what He has promised!”

John 20:29 “Jesus said to him, ‘Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed.

Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.’”

2 Corinthians 5:7 “For we walk by faith, not by sight.”

Faith is not FOOLISHNESS or PRESUMPTION.

Matthew 4:3–11 (NKJV) “Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, ‘If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.’

4 But He answered and said, ‘It is written, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” ‘ 5 Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, 6 and said to Him, ‘If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down.

For it is written: “He shall give His angels charge over you,” and, “In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone.”